Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Elected officials and the city allocated $3.6 million for the renovations

Senator Jeff Klein, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Council Member Ritchie Torres joined NYC Parks Bronx Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa at Waring Playground on Tuesday afternoon to announce a joint allocation of $3.6 million to reconstruct portions of the park.

“I’m proud to partner with my colleagues in city government to fund the reconstruction of Waring Playground and Basketball Court,” said Senator Jeff Klein. “Our city parks are valuable assets to the community, and the residents we serve deserve a clean, safe and modernized recreational space to gather with friends and families.”

“We are thrilled to receive this much-needed funding,” said NYC Parks Bronx Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa “We can’t wait to start transforming this playground into a space the Allerton community deserves. We’ll be designing the playground with input from the community to make sure the neighborhood’s vision comes to life.”

“I am proud to have provided so much of my capital funding to worthy park projects all over The Bronx during my tenure as borough president, including more than $1.1 million to help rehabilitate this wonderful playground. As we work to build a healthier Bronx through our “#Not62” campaign, we must make sure that our shared recreation spaces are in good condition and inviting to the public, so that more and more Bronxites of all ages will take advantage of them. I thank Senator Klein, Councilman Torres, the mayor’s office and the parks department for their partnership on this wonderful project,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

“The residents have waited far too long for renovations to Waring Playground to get underway. We are proud to announce that through our joint collaboration financial resources have been allocated so that the Playground and basketball courts can get necessary upgrades. Finally, residents will be able to enjoy an improved and modern playground,” said Council Member Ritchie Torres.

While the project hasn’t been officially scoped, some of the possible improvements include: new playground equipment for children of all ages, new safety surfacing throughout the playground, new benches, improvements to the spray shower area and improved landscaping. A community scope meeting will be held to engage the community on what improvements they would prefer.

Above - State Senator Jeff Klein speaks about being able to help restore this as well as other parks in his district.

Below - Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr, holds up the reason for the park renovation, children like Richard.

Above - Bronx Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa explains what has happened to this park, and thanks the elected officials for their help to restore it.

Below - Bronx BP Diaz Jr., Senator Klein, Councilman Torres, and Community Board 11 Chair Anthony Vitalino hold up the two checks for the park renovations. In three years this park will look brand new again.